Paleo On a Budget!

One of the most common objections to embracing a paleo lifestyle is that healthy food is more expensive than processed foods. Whilst this can be true, we’ve found there are many ways to get the food you need, without paying full price.

Here are our top tips to eat paleo on a budget

Meal Plan

The first step is to make a weekly plan of the recipes that you are going to cook. If you have a plan of what you are going to eat, you will have a list to stick to and you won’t be distracted by the beautiful celebrities unnecessary junk food in the supermarket aisle! This is something Derek Zoolander knows all too well!

ONLY BUY WHAT YOU NEED

For veggies that is! Stick to your shopping list, and don’t go overboard on fresh produce. Always use fruits and veggies before they start to go bad. HOWEVER – if they look like they are getting close to their use-by date – simply freeze them for later! The advantage of planning your meals is that you only buy enough fruit, meat and vegetable to cover what you are making. So by the end of the week your fridge should be nearly empty!

Bulk Up On Meat

In sayingthat, if you see awesome meat or poultry on special – BUY IN BULK! Get home and freeze those babies, you will definitely use them! We find it’s best to purchase non-conventional meats rather than your typical rump/sirloin steak (see Curious cuts below).

Shop at your local farmers markets

You can get beautiful organic produce direct from the farmers market, and it is much cheaper than buying from big supermarket chains. If you don’t buy organic, the food from the farmers market is still fresher than the supermarkets … we can usually fill an entire enviro bag of veggies for under $40!

Find a good quality butcher

We luuurrrve G.R.U.B in Vaucluse (once we even ordered a cow from here – more on this later!) and The Artisan Butcher in Potts Point. These are our local butchers, have a look in your area and see who is doing grass fed meat and pasture raised poultry. If there are none around, do a bit of googling. There are plenty of wholesalers willing to deliver! Buying direct from the farmer is supporting Aussie Farmers.

At the Bondi Beach Farmers Markets, we found Sutton Forrest meats who do 3 grass fed meats for the price of 2!

Shop at your local wholesale bulk food store

To save on pantry items. you can buy things like coconut oil, cacao, coconut flour, almond meal, tahini, nut butter, nuts etc by the gram/kilo (rather than in the sizes offered by supermarkets). Use your own jars to save on packaging. Eating cheaper + saving the environment = win! We are lucky to be within walking distance of The Farm at Potts Point, but there is also Naked Foods close by. If you don’t have a bulk foods shop nearby, try online. The Source Bulk foods delivers in most states and territories.

Try Imperfect Picks

Harris Farm Markets have their imperfect pick vegetable range! You can get zucchinis, eggplants, apples, tomatoes, carrots etc MUCH cheaper (up to 50% cheaper than regular range), all because they don’t look as ‘pretty’. Who cares what they look like, we are going to chop, peel, dice, puree the SH*T out of them anyways! And they are still perfectly good on the inside. Usually it is just small blemish, a weird shape or a funny lump.

Buy ‘Curious’ Cuts of meat

Speaking of Harris Farm – they also have the curious cuts range! Good quality (some grass fed) meat, all using cheaper cuts. Things like beef cheeks and beef brisket…. slow cook these babies for 8-10 hours on low, and you will have the most delicious tender meat EVER! If you buy a large cut of the meat, you will get so many meals out of this! Portion up your lunch for the week and if theres leftovers simply freeze them! We love the nose to tail philosophy, making the most out of the whole animal. They also have amazingly cheap grass fed mince. Mince is SO versatile – if you see it on special GRAB IT ALL as you can use it in so many recipes (spag bol, meatballs, patties, shepherds pie – just to name a few!)

LOOK! 500g GRASS FED for $2.94!! #forreals # paleo on a budget

Wait for Sales

Our local health food shop has 20% off twice a month. This is a great time to stock up on those items which are on the more expensive side. Sign up to your local health food shop and see what offers they have available!

Make it yourself/Grow it yourself

Kimchi/Kombucha/Saurkraut too expensive? Make it yourself! Rather than investing your money, this option is investing your time. Have some fun in the kitchen and get fermenting! Organic veggies/herbs too exxy? Start your own veggie patch! Gardening is a form of relaxing/meditation – good for the soul!

Changing your mindset

But how you view it can really change things in your mind for the better. Instead of viewing paleo as so expensive here are some alternatives:

Ask yourself why are unhealthy processed foods so cheap?! What is missing from this food?! The answer, a whole lot of goodness!

View paleo as an investment in a healthier version of yourself – you can’t put a price on that!

Ask yourself what other things can you go without to allow you to buy the food you need to set yourself up for success

To us, eating nutritious food does not only nourish our bodies, but also our mind and soul (and that is so so important)!

There’s always a saving to be made

We promise you there are savings to be made if you keep on the lookout.

Have a look at what is being done in your local area: does your local butcher reduce meat to clear at a certain time of the day or week? Do online delivery services offer free delivery for first time shoppers or for loyalty shoppers? The more you seek it out, the more you shall find. It’s totally worth the effort if you can get the food you need for less than full price!

Related

Comments

Great post! I knew how to get great quality food on a budget in the US, but am still suffering from sticker shock in Australia! Good to know about the Harris Farm Market meat selection, we will definitely need to check that out for some good deals. Right now, we try to save money on oils, flirt and veggies at Aldi and get the rest of our food at higher quality places.

Fun fact: John actually grew up on slow coked Texas brisket, so it’s not an unusual cut to us at all!

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[…] We know it can be a challenge to maintain a Paleo lifestyle whilst sticking to a budget. Luckily, there are plenty of quick and nourishing options that you can use as your ‘go to cheap meals”. You can also check out our top tips on how to eat Paleo on a budget. […]

[…] We’re glad you asked!Luckily, you can get just about all this stuff from the major supermarkets and most health food shops. If you want more info, check out this article we wrote about how and where to shop so that you can stick to a budget! […]

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We are Matt and Nat – aka: Paleo Power Couple. A husband and wife duo transforming our lives through a Paleo based lifestyle and fitness. This blog is dedicated to quick and easy recipes, practical tips and positive mindset advice. Positive vibes only here! Read More…

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